Services I offer: proofreading, copy-editing, indexing, word count reduction, typesetting, and a layout service for doctoral dissertations.

Proofreading

I will check your text for typographical errors, errors in spelling and punctuation, inconsistencies in formatting, and other inconsistencies and errors in accuracy. Proofreading is for unintentional errors: for consistent language issues, copy-editing will be required (see below).

My rate for proofreading is £26 per hour, and my working rate is roughly 2,500 words per hour (depending on number of errors). Discounts offered for larger projects. My preferred method is to work with MS Word documents, where I will track changes so you can see what I’ve done. I’m also happy to work with PDF files or a hard copy if you prefer, though my working rate will be slightly slower. See how the process works for more information on what to expect.

Special rate for students: £24 per hour.

Minimum charge is one hour. For larger projects (50,000+ words) I require a deposit of £50.

Copy-editing

Copy-editing includes all the same checks as proofreading, but also considers syntax and structure, and more fundamental issues of language, style and wording. I will engage more fully with the content of the piece, and make suggestions as to how its expression might be improved. This is strongly recommended if English is not your first language.

My rate for copy-editing is £32 per hour, and my working rate is around 2,500 words per hour (depending on the amount of editing required). Discounts offered for larger projects. My preferred method is to work with MS Word documents, where I will track changes so you can see what I’ve done. I’m also happy to work with PDF files or a hard copy if you prefer, though my working rate will be slightly slower. See how the process works for more information on what to expect.

Special rate for students: £28 per hour.

Minimum charge is one hour. For larger projects (50,000+ words) I require a deposit of £50.

Indexing

The importance of a good index is a vastly underrated aspect of a book, particularly academic books. Having been an academic researcher myself I am fully conversant in the necessity and utility of an efficient index. I can produce a thorough, detailed and accurate index for your book, which will vastly aid its utility as a scholarly tool.

Please note that the only kind of index service I offer is a standard text index working from typeset proofs (i.e. a Word index based on a PDF text). I no longer offer embedded indexes (an index created within a Word document) or indexing by codes (an index created within a PDF).

For a standard text index I charge a flat rate of £825 for books of 300 pages / 100,000 words or less. For each additional 20,000 words, add £65 to this base rate. The length of time required varies according to the length of the book. Please enquire as early as possible in the process of publication.

Word count reduction / precis

If you have a document in which the number of words needs to be cut down, without making any changes to the sense, I offer a precis service for £25 per hour, at a working rate of around 3,000 words per hour. I can make any degree of changes, from light to extreme, depending on your needs. A precis is often an extremely valuable exercise in its own right, even without the pressure of a word limit, as it streamlines your writing and removes extraneous material. If you wish to combine a precis with proofreading, it is charged at the copy-editing rate. A precis combined with copy-editing is charged at the copy-editing rate plus £2 per hour. A reduction of under 10% of the total is included in the price of copy-editing (but not proofreading).

Minimum charge is one hour.

Typesetting

I now offer typesetting for academic books and scholarly editions. This includes typography and layout design. Please contact me for more information.

Layout service for doctoral dissertations

While I of course always recommend a full proofread of your PhD thesis, if you do not have the time for this, or simply cannot afford it, I also offer a layout formatting service. I will check consistency of formatting throughout, and make sure that the thesis conforms with the specifications of your institution. This involves checks of things like headings, pagination, margins, paragraph and line spacing, and other formatting issues. If desired I can supply you with a PDF of the final version, ready to submit.  This service is charged at my copy-editing rate, and a standard-length doctoral thesis usually takes around three to four hours.

This service is designed with doctoral students in mind, but can be applied to any piece of work.